


Clouds of witness.

by Kaesteranya



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-03
Updated: 2011-05-03
Packaged: 2017-10-18 22:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/194113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaesteranya/pseuds/Kaesteranya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And history repeats itself, again and again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clouds of witness.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the word prompt “bird” over at the KHR Fic Meme. Title taken from the 31 Days theme for October 4, 2007.

_“Young master?”_

 

As Dino Cavallone set about to train Hibari Kyouya with the single-minded determination that men of his family were known best for, Romario found himself thinking back to the strangest things. They were strange not because they were insignificant (far from it, actually), but strange because of the timing, the less obvious coincidences. On off-days, when Dino was busy with paperwork and poking at the dark circles under his eyes, Romario remembered the series of unfortunate events that led to Signore Cavallone dying and his son being dragged in to fit his very large shoes. On all the other days, when Dino was kicking the shit out of Hibari/getting the living daylights beaten out of him by Hibari/dragging Hibari around/forcing Hibari out of his shell with smiles or threats, Romario remembered the night after Dino’s Trial, after the blond crybaby became the Bucking Horse.

 

 _“Young master, it’s still too early for you to be up. Why don’t you go to back to bed?”_

 _“In a minute, Romario.”_

 

He had not cried after the trial, had only stood in front of the mirror with pursed lips and deadened eyes and bandaged fingers mindlessly tracing the whorls and curves of the tattoos on his neck and arm. He had smiled for everyone who approached him during the celebratory dinner, smiled even after he had stepped out from an explosive run-in with Squalo Superbi involving verbal abuse, a strike across his face and a friendship buried for years to come. Romario, however, found him that day at 3 AM, still awake and up at the windowsill, watching the rain.

 

Romario remembered wondering, at that point, why his boss had looked so small and broken that morning, when just two days before that he had been standing tall in the midst of hundreds of bodies, all smileless lips and burning eyes and iron resolve.

 

 _“...Would you like some warm milk?”_

 _“I think I’d prefer coffee. I’ll have to work soon anyway.”_

 

It had disturbed him that night, the way Dino had smiled at him – it was almost like the gesture of a captive creature who had only just realized that it was locked in a cage. He had not known that it would be just that same smile that the young man would carry for the rest of his years.

 

 _“Do you think I’ll be able to travel someday?”_

 _“Of course, young master.”_

 _“But I’m always going to have to come back here, aren’t I?”_

 _“Young master, are you all right?”_

 _“…Of course I am, Romario. Of course.”_

 

Romario remembered that night because of those words. Dino echoed them back to him now, at present, whenever Romario caught him looking at Hibari like he was seeing himself, struggling to break free from something that he could never escape from.

 

There were days when Romario was greatly tempted to tell Reborn and Iemitsu that both of them had an incredibly sick sense of humor and an unhealthy obsession for repeating the past. The man always ended up holding his peace instead, and remaining in place, watching his boss beat a Cloud Guardian out of a boy.


End file.
